Jackson County, Kansas: Power, Data Centers and the Local Economy
Home to Holton
Jackson County is not a build-out site today. It feels the boom through the grid it shares, the utilities that serve it and the work nearby. Jackson County is home to Holton and Hoyt. Next door, Shawnee County has 2 data centers. Construction employs 135, down 11.2% since 2019. Employers here counted 4,454 jobs in 2025, up 6.0% from 2019. Unemployment was 4.0% in August 2026, against 3.2% in 2019.
Cities and towns in Jackson County
Jackson County is home to Holton and Hoyt.
Residents are 2025 Census estimates for the part of each city, town or township inside this county. Census publishes no annual estimate for unincorporated communities.
What changed in Jackson County
1st = the most. Ranks cover counties with a value on record.
| Measure | Then | Now | Change | Rank in Kansas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Population (2020 → 2025) | 13,237 | 13,438 | ▲ 1.5% | 35th of 105 by size |
| Total jobs (2019 → 2025) | 4,201 | 4,454 | ▲ 6.0% | 16th of 105 by growth |
| Average annual pay (2019 → 2025) | $34,115 | $48,341 | ▲ 41.7% | — |
| Construction jobs (2019 → 2025) | 152 | 135 | ▼ 11.2% | 47th of 51 by growth |
| Unemployment rate (2019 → August 2026) | 3.2% | 4.0% | ▲ 0.8pts | — |
| Generating capacity added since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — | |
| Generating capacity retired since 2019 | — | 0 MW | — |
Its power plants have 22 MW of capacity, 71% of it petroleum. Evergy Kansas Central, Inc is the largest utility serving Jackson County, one of 6 with territory here. Its residential customers paid an average 14.29¢/kWh in 2024, above the 13.97¢ median for Kansas utilities. 13,438 people live here, up 1.5% since 2020.
Who powers Jackson County
Utilities with service territory in Jackson County
| Utility | Ownership | Service | Residential customers (systemwide) | Residential price, 2024 | Commercial share of sales |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Evergy Kansas Central, Inc | Investor Owned | Bundled | 341,806 | 14.29¢ | 44% |
| FreeState Electric Coop | Cooperative | Bundled | 17,514 | 16.41¢ | 13% |
| Brown-Atchison E C A Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| City of Holton - (KS) | — | — | — | — | — |
| Nemaha-Marshall E C A, Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bluestem Electric Coop Inc | — | — | — | — | — |
Customer counts, prices and sales shares cover each utility's whole system in the state, not only this county. Commercial sales include data centers.
Operating power plants 1
| Technology | Capacity | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Petroleum | 15 MW | 71% |
| Natural gas | 6 MW | 29% |
| Largest plants | Owner | Technology | MW | Since |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holton | City of Holton - (KS) | Petroleum | 22 MW | 1958 |
The Jackson County labor market
| Industry (2025) | Jobs | Average pay | Concentration vs U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| All industries | 4,454 | $48,341 | 1.00 |
| Construction | 135 | $54,155 | 0.57 |
Concentration is the BLS location quotient: 1.0 means the industry holds the same share of local jobs as it does nationally. Industry rows count private employers; cells BLS suppresses are left out.
Data centers and local rules in Jackson County
No data center, local measure or delayed project is on record in Jackson County. Kansas has 24 local measures on record statewide, and 2 neighboring counties have one: Pottawatomie County, Shawnee County.
Jackson County and its neighbors
Of the 6 counties that border Jackson County, Pottawatomie County carries the most build-out activity: data centers, planned generation and operating plants combined.
| County | Population | Jobs since 2019 | Operating MW | Planned MW | Data centers | Local measures |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jackson County | 13,438 | ▲ 6.0% | 22 MW | — | — | — |
| Atchison County | 16,172 | ▲ 1.8% | — | — | — | — |
| Brown County | 9,104 | ▼ 16.9% | — | — | — | — |
| Jefferson County | 18,296 | ▲ 3.5% | 1 MW | — | — | — |
| Nemaha County | 10,054 | ▲ 15.3% | 322 MW | — | — | — |
| Pottawatomie County | 27,186 | ▲ 2.9% | 2,188 MW | — | — | 1 |
| Shawnee County | 178,607 | ▲ 6.3% | 8 MW | — | 2 | 1 |
More of Kansas
Jackson County, answered from the record
Who provides electricity in Jackson County, Kansas?
6 utilities have service territory in Jackson County in the EIA-861 2024 report: Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, FreeState Electric Coop, Brown-Atchison E C A Inc, City of Holton - (KS). The largest, Evergy Kansas Central, Inc, charged residential customers 14.29¢/kWh on average in 2024.
What power plants are in Jackson County?
1 operating plant with 22 MW of capacity. The largest is Holton (22 MW, petroleum).
Are there data centers in Jackson County?
The SAVRN Data Center Map has no data center in Jackson County. The nearest activity on record is next door in Shawnee County.
Is Jackson County adding jobs?
Employers counted 4,454 jobs in 2025 against 4,201 in 2019 (+6.0%, BLS QCEW). Construction went from 152 to 135.
Does Jackson County have a data center moratorium?
No county-level measure is on record for Jackson County. Kansas has 24 local measures statewide, listed on the state page.